Dubai cruise with kids

[Twolittleboys]

I am thinking of taking my two boys (8 and 10) on the Serenade cruise from Dubai over Easter. We have been on two Med cruises the last couple of years and I would love to get to experience a different part of the world. We would probably spend a day in Dubai before the cruise and a couple of days at the end as well.

Unfortunately, I can't find much about kids on this itinerary. Would love to hear from others who have been on this (or a similar) cruise before. Any tipps appreciated!

[lilybob]

Originally Posted by Twolittleboys

I am thinking of taking my two boys (8 and 10) on the Serenade cruise from Dubai over Easter. We have been on two Med cruises the last couple of years and I would love to get to experience a different part of the world. We would probably spend a day in Dubai before the cruise and a couple of days at the end as well.

Unfortunately, I can't find much about kids on this itinerary. Would love to hear from others who have been on this (or a similar) cruise before. Any tipps appreciated!

Ideas for Dubai would be the water parks of Atlantis or Wild Wadi, a desert safari that includes dune bashing and a camel ride, Dubai Mall offers Kidzania, Sega Republic, an aquarium and ice skating rink. Mall of the Emirates has the indoor ski slope and penguins. You could also explore the Bastakiya area of Dubai and ride across the creek on an abra. Global Village is open through March 31 so perhaps a pre-cruise outing
http://www.globalvillage.ae/

Abu Dhabi has Ferrari World and the Falcon Hospital with falcon interaction

Fujairah-you could arrange a dhow cruise and a good chance of seeing dolphins

onboard the ship I can't offer any suggestions other than the obvious, not having cruised with children before

Happy to provide more info on Dubai and Abu Dhabi if I can help

[Twolittleboys]

Originally Posted by lilybob

Ideas for Dubai would be the water parks of Atlantis or Wild Wadi, a desert safari that includes dune bashing and a camel ride, Dubai Mall offers Kidzania, Sega Republic, an aquarium and ice skating rink. Mall of the Emirates has the indoor ski slope and penguins. You could also explore the Bastakiya area of Dubai and ride across the creek on an abra. Global Village is open through March 31 so perhaps a pre-cruise outing
http://www.globalvillage.ae/

Abu Dhabi has Ferrari World and the Falcon Hospital with falcon interaction

Fujairah-you could arrange a dhow cruise and a good chance of seeing dolphins

onboard the ship I can't offer any suggestions other than the obvious, not having cruised with children before

Happy to provide more info on Dubai and Abu Dhabi if I can help

Thanks so much. Right now I am planing to spend one day before the cruise visiting the Bastakiya area, Dubai museum, Spice Souk, and Abra boat ride. Global Village sounds really neat too - I will have to check it out.

At the end of the cruise we will probably stay 3 or 4 days in Dubai, mostly to have fun and relax. I am thinking of Ski Dubai, Malls, Aquarium, Kidzania, Wild Wadi, and the beach. We would probably also do one of the camel ride/dune bashing/dinner excursions during that time.

In Abu Dhabi we would definitely want to see the Mosque. The Falcon Hospital sounds really interesting, but I am a bit bird-phobic so we will probably skip it. None of us are really into cars and the kids are NOT thrill-seekers so not sure whether Ferrarri World is worth it. Does it offer enough mild attractions for people who are not into cars to make it a good excursion?

We have two days in Oman. One day we will probably tour the town and explore on our own. The second day I would like to do a tour to see more of the area - Nizwa sounds interesting. However, I do not enjoy tours in which you just drive around and have short stops to take a picture. I would rather do something at a couple of places then see many for a moment. Also, sitting in a vehicle all day wouldn't be fun for the boys. If anyone could tell me more about the offered excursions it would be great.

In Fujairah we might go on the excursion to a beach resort. None of the other offered tours sound that exciting. Again, it would be good to hear from people who have taken other excursions. Reading the description really doesn't help that much.

Unfortunately, there is noone on the roll call for our date - this seems a good destination for setting up a private excursion.

[lilybob]

Originally Posted by Twolittleboys

In Abu Dhabi we would definitely want to see the Mosque.
The Sheik Zayed Mosque is my favorite. You could do a ship tour or with a tour company or you could also take a taxi from the port to the mosque on your own. The mosque offers a very good free tour at 11 am. Combine this with a stop at Emirates Palace Hotel even if only an outdoor photo op

We have two days in Oman. One day we will probably tour the town and explore on our own. The second day I would like to do a tour to see more of the area - Nizwa sounds interesting. However, I do not enjoy tours in which you just drive around and have short stops to take a picture. I would rather do something at a couple of places then see many for a moment. Also, sitting in a vehicle all day wouldn't be fun for the boys. If anyone could tell me more about the offered excursions it would be great.

There will probably be a shuttle to the port gate in Muscat. From there you can walk to the souk. If your family likes to walk, you could actually walk along the corniche (sea walk) which is quite beautiful and end up in the area near the Palace and the Bait al Zubair Museum which is also nice. It will take you about an hour but there are places to stop and rest or take photos. You can then take a taxi back to the port for the way back. You will need to negotiate the price in Muscat as they don't use meters. Muscat is charming but more conservative than Dubai. If you wish to visit the mosque there you will need to take a taxi or go with a tour as it is further out. I haven't been to Nizwa but it is supposed to be nice. I believe it is a couple hours away.

http://www.baitalzubairmuseum.com/

In Fujairah we might go on the excursion to a beach resort. None of the other offered tours sound that exciting. Again, it would be good to hear from people who have taken other excursions. Reading the description really doesn't help that much.
You will have a nice resort day in Fujairah as the beach is nice. The Hilton and Radisson Blu are only about 3 miles from the port so you could even take a taxi if you didn't want to do a tour


Unfortunately, there is noone on the roll call for our date - this seems a good destination for setting up a private excursion.

Others will probably post and if you haven't already, check out Trip Advisor as there are a ton of posts related to the UAE.

[lindyloo17]

Hi... i am cruising alone with my 10 yr old daughter on the 11th Feb... which cruise are you doing ?

[buchhalm]

I think you are packing A LOT into this trip!
Will the kids cope with this? Don't forget to rest and relax!
In Muscat, will you stay at a hotel or on the ship?
The new HoHo bus gives you a good overview of things. First stop is at Muttrah Souqu, a short walk from the port gate. The souqu itself is quite nice, but don't expect something like in Cairo or Istanbul.
I'd do a loop on the HoHo bus, perhaps with a hop-off once or twice.
In the early afternoon, perhaps spend a few hours at the nice bay at the Oman Dive Center. Very sheltered, clean beach, nice cafe (with booze!).
A short taxi ride from the port ( no more than 5 Rials) and 2 or 3 Rials entry fee to the
Dive Center (but they refund the entrance fee, if you spend 20 OMR at the cafe. Show the bill at reception).
Nizwa is AWSOME, but a good 200+ km from the port, so be careful!
Nizwa fort and the market the is tops. The fort is very Lawrence of Arabia and you can roam around at will. The produce market kicks of early and by 10 a.m. its all over, but there is a nice area just by the fort where they sell cool souvenirs (including old rifles and firearms!)
For Nizwa, I would definately suggest a private tour. They are totally flexible and show you what you want to see. None of these my-friend-has-a-carpet-shop shenenigans here in Oman. :-)

[QLUVS2CRUZ]

Good for you taking your kids for the experience. I absolutely love Dubai! I went on business to Abu Dhabi and spent the weekend in Dubai, and thought it was a nice city with friendly people. I think your kids will enjoy seeing (and participating) Ski Dubai (to me the shopping malls themselves were just beautiful), as well as being outside in the markets. I took the subway/rail around and it was very nice and clean, and an inexpensive way to get around. Parts of it are above ground, so you can also see the city that way.

I went to the Jumeirah Mosque for their tour, and it was very informative. If interested, look it up before you go, because they only have certain times for tours.

I stayed at the Monarch hotel in Dubai and it was a great hotel.

I hope to take my kids there one day.

[lindyloo17]

Anyone got any other info?

Hoping to go to Wild Waldi on Sat, Tour the city then shop on Sunday, Tour guide picks us up for evening safari. Monday helicopter trip and join cruise ship.


If my daughter has her hand henna painted.... how long will it take to wear off? Her school are very strict. !!!

Thanks

[tuplav]

Originally Posted by lilybob

You will have a nice resort day in Fujairah as the beach is nice. The Hilton and Radisson Blu are only about 3 miles from the port so you could even take a taxi if you didn't want to do a tour

Are there more than one Radisson Blu in Fujairah because the one I found seems to be in Dibba which to my understanding is some distance from Fujairah city and the port? It looked great but I'm bit worried about the distance

[lilybob]

Originally Posted by lindyloo17

Anyone got any other info?

Hoping to go to Wild Waldi on Sat, Tour the city then shop on Sunday, Tour guide picks us up for evening safari. Monday helicopter trip and join cruise ship.


If my daughter has her hand henna painted.... how long will it take to wear off? Her school are very strict. !!!

Thanks

Henna painting usually lasts one to three weeks, depending on where you get it, how often it is washed, natural skin exfoliation.

[lilybob]

Originally Posted by tuplav

Are there more than one Radisson Blu in Fujairah because the one I found seems to be in Dibba which to my understanding is some distance from Fujairah city and the port? It looked great but I'm bit worried about the distance

I incorrectly named Radisson Blu as close but it is Nour Arjaan Rotana that is closer to the Fujairah port, around the same distance as Hilton.
Radisson Blu in Dibba would be about 35 miles or 55km.
Miramar Al Aqah Beach is about 23 miles and there is also another Rotana in that area too. Sorry for the confusion.

[tuplav]

Thanks for clearing that up lilybob. Also huge thanks for the distances. I've been looking for alternatives for ship's tour and knowing how far everything actually is makes it lot easier to decide.